[ATrain]

I am almost ready to change my mind about moving to FBS. I am not sure we can attract the type of athlete you must have to play FBS football without compromising the practices and beliefs of the University. Besides, we should be dominating our league before moving up and we are under-performing on the football field. We still don't have a signature win or made the playoffs yet.
In basketball, we are terrible and don't see a lot of light at the end of the tunnel. We are quite competitive in baseball and the olympic sports. We have progressed very little in the last 10-15 years. Just a bit of a rant this morning. Wanted to get it off my chest. FWIW

Way to sum up the arguments of the past 183 pages of the anti-FBS crowd.

[jimflamesfan]

Maybe we should re-evaluate the FBS ready. After seeing the Richmond game and how many people came out...maybe we should be courting the CAA as the next possible move. Even if JMU leaves for the mac...there would still be W&M and Richmond. I think it would do wonders for the football and basketball crowds. ..but to be honest...we may be five years away from being CAA ready. Coastal has done more to be ready to move than us...I'm glad they are still in the Big South!

Plus the CAA presidents may hate us more than the Sunbelt. I have no idea.

[Purple Haize]

Maybe we should re-evaluate the FBS ready. After seeing the Richmond game and how many people came out...maybe we should be courting the CAA as the next possible move. Even if JMU leaves for the mac...there would still be W&M and Richmond. I think it would do wonders for the football and basketball crowds. ..but to be honest...we may be five years away from being CAA ready. Coastal has done more to be ready to move than us...I'm glad they are still in the Big South!

Plus the CAA presidents may hate us more than the Sunbelt. I have no idea.

Feel the power of

[TIMSCAR20]

In my quest for new TV employment I have had several conversations/meals with CAA top officials and their perception of Liberty is pretty positive but the fact that Liberty has shown the desire to move to FBS makes the CAA think there is no reason to bring in Liberty. They have lost some big teams in hoops over the past few years, VCU, GMU, ODU but they are still going to thrive. I am going to be spending a lot of time in CAA venues this year personally/professionally and I can't wait! I think that league in Football and Basketball particularly is pretty solid. I would love to see a CAA move way more than a SunBelt move personally. I think the athletic profile in VA and even nationwide would be a lot better in my opinion than to be in a poor FBS conference like the SunBelt.

[JakeP50]

If we gave up on FBS for a little while, the CAA would be great. Williams Stadium as is would be one of the nicest in the conference right away. Other than Northeastern the CAA is just as much a geographic match as the Sun Belt, and the rivalries would be a lot more interesting. I don't know about you guys but Chuck South and Presby don't get me excited like the thought of playing UD and Richmond every year does.

[jcmanson]

I've said this before, and it will never happen, but I'd love to be in the CAA.

[JakeP50]

In my quest for new TV employment I have had several conversations/meals with CAA top officials and their perception of Liberty is pretty positive but the fact that Liberty has shown the desire to move to FBS makes the CAA think there is no reason to bring in Liberty. They have lost some big teams in hoops over the past few years, VCU, GMU, ODU but they are still going to thrive. I am going to be spending a lot of time in CAA venues this year personally/professionally and I can't wait! I think that league in Football and Basketball particularly is pretty solid. I would love to see a CAA move way more than a SunBelt move personally. I think the athletic profile in VA and even nationwide would be a lot better in my opinion than to be in a poor FBS conference like the SunBelt.

SECU arena at Towson is amazing, I haven't seen it in person but I've seen enough pictures of it to know that the Tiger's athletic department wanted their own more modern version of Cole Field House. And when you go to Newark for UD games, only eat at the restaurants that are near the campus, all of the ones near the athletic complex either have bad food or are really dirty sometimes both.

[thepostman]

Out goal should have been the caa. There was zero reason to make our FBS aspirations public.

None if that matters. We will be in the big south for years to become because of our ego.

[flameshaw]

ego? Are you drunk?

[bluejacket]

Right now, we just need to focus on improving ourselves and the Big South Conference. Capitalize on the league's recent successes and we will surpass the SoCon in football (no thanks to ourselves). Liberty and Coastal need to push to add North Alabama and see if there are any D-II powerhouses in the conference footprint that want to move up to FCS (maybe West Georgia or take an unlikely shot at Valdosta State). If the CAA invites us (very, very unlikely), take it.

We just need to have patience. There will be opportunities to move up to FBS in the future.

[jbock13]

Right now, we just need to focus on improving ourselves and the Big South Conference.

+10000

[flamesfilmguy]

I'll say this. I was all for a move to the SoCon/CAA before. I think my mind has changed about the SoCon after being a part of it the past year. The CAA is all good but lets not forget what is happening in the Big South, the competition is getting better and I think the Big South is on its way to being a better league than the SoCon. I was never really an advocate for moving up to FBS if it meant we were going to join the SunBelt. I really enjoy FCS football and the playoff system. and to echo the sentiments of a lot of people on this board, we should be working toward making the playoffs and BSC championships before we start looking toward FBS.

[jcmanson]

I think the Big South is better than the SoCon this year. The league is 7-2 against the SoCon.

[TIMSCAR20]

In my quest for new TV employment I have had several conversations/meals with CAA top officials and their perception of Liberty is pretty positive but the fact that Liberty has shown the desire to move to FBS makes the CAA think there is no reason to bring in Liberty. They have lost some big teams in hoops over the past few years, VCU, GMU, ODU but they are still going to thrive. I am going to be spending a lot of time in CAA venues this year personally/professionally and I can't wait! I think that league in Football and Basketball particularly is pretty solid. I would love to see a CAA move way more than a SunBelt move personally. I think the athletic profile in VA and even nationwide would be a lot better in my opinion than to be in a poor FBS conference like the SunBelt.

SECU arena at Towson is amazing, I haven't seen it in person but I've seen enough pictures of it to know that the Tiger's athletic department wanted their own more modern version of Cole Field House. And when you go to Newark for UD games, only eat at the restaurants that are near the campus, all of the ones near the athletic complex either have bad food or are really dirty sometimes both.

Thanks for the tips Jake.

I agree that CAA should have been the 1st goal. Football and Basketball rep would have been improved 10 fold. Plus with the defections of VCU, GMU, ODU, they would have been open to taking a solid VA school like Liberty in my opinion. Personally I think the SunBelt is a dead end. I understand it is a means to an end but that league geographically and competition wise doesn't move the needle for me personally.

I agree with Manson that the Big South is probably already better than the SoCon. They have really lost their luster the past few years. Losing Davidson in Basketball to the Atlantic 10 hurts them too.

[ATrain]

I agree that I'd rather be CAA and then make the jump to FBS. The SoCon has lost a lot of its football luster with Georgia Southern and Appalachian State moving up, plus Elon going to the CAA. Basketball also took a hit when Davidson went to the A-10 and College of Charleston joined the CAA.

The SunBelt would be, I just hope, a stepping stone into either the American or C-USA. Languishing there would do nothing for our sports except get football to a bowl game every once in a while.

[Purple Haize]

Out goal should have been the caa. There was zero reason to make our FBS aspirations public.

None if that matters. We will be in the big south for years to become because of our ego.

You make your Potentate proud. The U.S. chair force is fortunate to have you

[thepostman]

Out goal should have been the caa. There was zero reason to make our FBS aspirations public.

None if that matters. We will be in the big south for years to become because of our ego.

You make your Potentate proud. The U.S. chair force is fortunate to have you

Wow that was one terribly written post. There is no defending it. I wish I could claim being drunk...

[Purple Haize]

That was a great post. Embrace it. Own it. BE it!

[phoenix]

The Big South is getting better, and let's be honest and at least admit that that is Liberty's fault

Everybody in football was competing against us, they got better and (in Coastal's case) have surpassed us. WE didn't have any real competition until the last year or so, and we got cocky. Maybe we need the next two seasons to take that out of us a little bit, and then we'll be ready to rule the Big South again.

[ATrain]

The Big South is getting better, and let's be honest and at least admit that that is Liberty's fault

Everybody in football was competing against us, they got better and (in Coastal's case) have surpassed us. WE didn't have any real competition until the last year or so, and we got cocky. Maybe we need the next two seasons to take that out of us a little bit, and then we'll be ready to rule the Big South again.

Any REAL competition? When was the last time we won the Big South outright in ?

[LUconn]

Coastal was in the playoffs years before we were any good.

[flameshaw]

Coastal was in the playoffs years before we were any good.

Wrong, but you have to go back a few years. We should have made the playoffs at least twice before we were in the BS, but being an independent hurt us.
Actually our best years in football were in the Morgan Hout era and to a lesser degree under Sam R. (Before CCU had football). We really haven't improved since then. Hopefully yesterday's game will be a springboard to putting us on a higher plateau on a consistent basis.

[Purple Haize]

Coastal was in the playoffs years before we were any good.

Wrong, but you have to go back a few years. We should have made the playoffs at least twice before we were in the BS, but being an independent hurt us.
Actually our best years in football were in the Morgan Hout era and to a lesser degree under Sam R. (Before CCU had football). We really haven't improved since then. Hopefully yesterday's game will be a springboard to putting us on a higher plateau on a consistent basis.

Take heed all who think FBS Independent is the way to go. It will only be magnified exponentially at the next level.

[flameshaw]

Coastal was in the playoffs years before we were any good.

Wrong, but you have to go back a few years. We should have made the playoffs at least twice before we were in the BS, but being an independent hurt us.
Actually our best years in football were in the Morgan Hout era and to a lesser degree under Sam R. (Before CCU had football). We really haven't improved since then. Hopefully yesterday's game will be a springboard to putting us on a higher plateau on a consistent basis.

Take heed all who think FBS Independent is the way to go. It will only be magnified exponentially at the next level.

Yeppers.

[LUconn]

My comment was in context of the big south.